2000 DRAFT

2000 DRAFT; Jets Bolster Pass Rush, and Snag a Passer

By JUDY BATTISTA

Published: April 16, 2000

The Jets, coming off one of the most shocking trades in franchise history, entered yesterday's National Football League draft hoping to quiet the din surrounding the trade of Keyshawn Johnson by finding his replacement. But by the time the Jets had exhausted their unprecedented four first-round picks, they still had not filled Johnson's spot in the lineup. Instead, they hoped they had found their next quarterback.

After using their first two selections to fill a desperate need for pass rushing by selecting defensive end Shaun Ellis of Tennessee (the 12th pick over all) and outside linebacker John Abraham of South Carolina (the 13th), the Jets saw Chad Pennington of Marshall, the only quarterback projected to go in the first round, tumbling down the draft order into their laps when the time came to make the 18th pick, their third selection of the draft.

So with the searing image of Vinny Testaverde's Achilles' tendon injury in last season's first weekend still burning in their memories, the Jets passed on the immediate gratification of replacing Johnson for the security of having a young quarterback learning at the knee of a veteran.

''If this wasn't a quarterback, who knows what that selection would have been,'' said Groh, who added that Pennington reminded him in many ways of the former Giant Phil Simms. ''To get a first-round quarterback and not jeopardize the other needs of the team, it was too juicy to pass up. We're looking at ourselves for the long range. It keeps us from getting into the position where everything else is in place and we don't have a quarterback.''

The Jets also filled two other critical needs in the first round: pass rushing and, with the 27th pick over all and their final selection in the round, a tight end, with Anthony Becht of West Virginia, the second-rated tight end.

Only the Browns had fewer sacks last year than the Jets. And the Jets were so pressed to find a tight end to replace the waived Eric Green that they passed on Dez White, a Georgia Tech wide receiver, when the time came for the 27th pick because they decided the talent pool at receiver was deeper than at tight end.

Ellis and Abraham will start immediately in third-down situations, and Groh said that they will eventually be every-down players, calling them a ''power-packed selection.'' Becht will be especially useful as a blocker for the run in the Jets' red-zone offense.

All three of those picks, Groh said, were on the Jets' target list from the start, although Groh feared the Jets might have lost their chance at Becht when they did not take him at No. 18. But if Jets fans had hoped for a quick fix to Johnson's absence, they may have instead gotten a subtle signal with the selection of Pennington that they should flip a few pages on their annual calendar.

The Jets tried furiously to trade up to grab a receiver, most likely Plaxico Burress of Michigan State. But knowing how critical the Jets' need was, the teams in those positions made enormous demands, seeking a combination of the 12th, 13th and 18th selections. The Jets decided to move on, hoping there would still be receivers available in a draft deep at the position.

The Jets finally got their receiver with their third-round pick, but their choice of Laveranues Coles from Florida State is sure to raise eyebrows. Coles is a superb talent with extraordinary speed. He likely would have been a first-round selection, but his status plunged because of a terrible off-the-field record.

He was thrown off the Seminoles in his senior year. He pleaded guilty in October 1999 to a misdemeanor petty theft charge in relation to the same scam at a Tallahassee, Fla., department store in which Peter Warrick was involved. He was already on school probation for a variety of academic and legal troubles, including a battery incident in 1998 involving his stepmother.

Groh said the Jets engaged in considerable research into Coles's problems. The Jets' coach also said that he had an extensive conversation with the receiver.

''Our determination is he's an intelligent young man who knows right from wrong,'' Groh said. ''I think he's hungry for another chance. I think he realizes this is his last chance.''

Ellis, their first pick, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge last July for striking a woman in the head with a drinking glass.

Groh had spoken before the draft of his desire to extend the team's ''cycle of success,'' and with Pennington, who with Ray Lucas will back up Testaverde, the Jets have assured that, at least, they have candidates to replace the 36-year-old Testaverde if he decides to retire after two more seasons. At one point, Groh even referred to Pennington as the quarterback of the future.

Lucas emerged as a suitable backup when Testaverde went down last season, but it is questionable whether he has the skills to be a full-time starter. In Pennington, the Jets get a quarterback who passed for 4,006 yards as a senior but whose arm strength is suspect. Pennington was seriously considered by at least two teams with picks in the top 10 who need quarterback help: Denver and Pittsburgh. When both passed on him, the Jets were in luck. Even then, the Steelers called afterward to see if the Jets would trade Pennington, but no deal could be arranged.

Even if this pick was a bit of a shock, there was the proper cosmic quality to it. Pennington, who was at his home north of Knoxville, Tenn., said he happened to be wearing a green golf shirt yesterday.

He brushed off suggestions that he might have been disappointed that he had dropped out of the top 10 or that the Jets should have concerns about his throwing ability.

''I think if you look at some great quarterbacks -- like Joe Montana, my idol -- he didn't have an overpowering arm,'' Pennington said. ''Quarterback has to do with accuracy and leadership. This is the best situation of all the teams. I don't have to worry about going in and starting.''

Everyone else does, though. Becht is a huge tight end (6 feet 5 inches, 262 pounds) who caught 35 passes for 510 yards last season. Groh praised the speed and power of both Ellis and Abraham. Ellis, who will skip his senior season, was the second-rated defensive end in the draft, and speculation in the wake of the Jets' trade Thursday with San Francisco to move up to the 12th pick centered on the Jets' wanting to get Ellis before Green Bay could take him. Their commitment to the 6-4, 285-pound Ellis became obvious when the Jets let just 2 minutes 10 seconds go off the clock before making their pick.

Last season, the Jets' defensive ends had just four sacks. Ellis had 8 1/2 sacks, 14 quarterback pressures and 11 tackles for lost yardage after recovering from a 1998 car accident in which he fractured a hip after falling asleep at the wheel.

Abraham, who is 6-3 and 251, was projected by some scouts as a defensive end but is a pure pass rusher and will play at linebacker for the Jets. He had 6 sacks, 12 quarterback pressures and 5 stops for losses of 18 yards last season. Abraham did not expect to go so high in the draft and perhaps, in his excitement, he forgot who had selected him. He spoke to reporters of how he hoped to make an impact for the New York Giants.

Photo: Fans reacting to the Jets selecting John Abraham of South Carolina as their 13th pick yesterday in the draft. (Chang W. Lee/The New York Times)(pg. D2)